XS11 Newbie Here, with some Questions

[Sylva]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums and thought I'd poke my head in to see if anyone has some pointers with a few things I'm doing.

So I just purchased two xs1100s one is a cafe racer Proj. and the other a parts bike for the aforementioned. I'm doing a full engine tear down as the owner said the engine was rebuilt and did not have oll but was looking at it... it was cryptic for, "So, I tried to rebuild this engine and stopped when I could get the cylinders to budge, the pistons to turn, also the engine is seized, teehee." I got the top end off, looked at the pistons and they had extreme carbon build up and were seized to the cylinder. Not an issue, let the pistons sitting in the cylinders soak in about an inch of pb blaster for 2 days, came back and the blaster was gone and the pistons now turn, Huzzah!

Okay, we are all caught up now and here is where I am currently stuck at. I wish to pull the engine from the frame but the swingarm, drive shaft are still connected and I am having a hell of a time getting them off. I read I need the drive shaft puller from yamaha to get the swingarm bolts out to drop the swingarm. They are no longer sold. That is problem one; problem two is the cylinders are still stuck to the crankcase and I have no idea how to get the black (rubber/silicone?) sealer to give so that the cylinder can come off.

Thanks for your time and I hope to have the pictures of said bike up soon.

[kboehringer]

Drive shaft puller?

I read I need the drive shaft puller from yamaha to get the swingarm bolts out to drop the swingarm.

Sylva,
I have no idea what a "Drive Shaft Puller" is supposed to be but I've pulled three swing arms without an sort of special tool.

The four(4) bolts that connect the drive shaft U-joint assembly to the middle drive box (behind big rubber boot) can be an absolute pain in the butt to break loose (because of limited space) but a couple 12mm wrenches and a pry bar leveraged to hold the assy. in one position will get the job done in just a few minutes.

Once the drive shaft bolts are removed you would remove/loosen the locking nut 27mm (?) from both sides of the swing arm bolts (behind the chrome covers) and then loosen the pins with an allen wrench 6mm (?) the swing arm/drive shaft/rear drive group will basically fall out if all the other attachments (rear shocks, etc.) have been removed. The locking nuts are set at a pretty high torque so they could need a good bit of force to break loose.

I have also had some difficulty pulling jugs that have been in place for 30+ years. A good lubricant like the PB blaster you mentioned setting in the stud holes for a while followed by careful application of a large rubber hammer and a little prying around the perimeter (be extra careful not to damage the fins or case mounting surfaces) will get the cylinders moving. I found that all the crud and rust down the holes for the cylinder/head studs makes for the biggest restriction.

Hope this helps.

KURT

[mack]

Tools

Hi , first welcome to the site.
Getting the jugs off can be a problem. There are specific pry points on the upper case between the jugs and the case. Some guys have tried a rubber mallet and blocks of wood to get a seam started but I've never had success with that.
If you go down to the maint. section and look up "trbig cylinder head removal tool" in the specialty tools section at the bottom, you'll find a tool that he made for this purpose. I had one made and it works everytime without damaging the fins.

[trbig]

As kboehringer said, there are 4 bolts attaching the ujoint to the middle drive. I use a 12mm wrench and give it a bump or two with a rubber hammer top break them loose. After you get that done and get all the engine mounts out (Inc the one holding your footpegs on) then wires, clutch/throttle cables detached, it'll come out. No need whatsoever to mess with the swingarm to get the engine out.

[motoman]

As kboehringer said, there are 4 bolts attaching the ujoint to the middle drive. I use a 12mm wrench and give it a bump or two with a rubber hammer top break them loose. After you get that done and get all the engine mounts out (Inc the one holding your footpegs on) then wires, clutch/throttle cables detached, it'll come out. No need whatsoever to mess with the swingarm to get the engine out.

+1!........engine removes out the right side of bike.

[Sylva]

Awesome, I will have to grab my trusty wrenches and see if I can get it removed. I'm looking at the tool right now and will probably make it tomorrow. I'll update if anything good or bad happens! Thanks again guys!

[jwhughes3]

Don't try to lift that engine all by yourself. I only know one guy who does that and isn't crippled.

Are you sure you need to break the engine down so far? Seems like now the pistons are loose you could do a quick clean up and measure without separating the jugs, just the lower case.


John

[Sylva]

Don't try to lift that engine all by yourself. I only know one guy who does that and isn't crippled.

Are you sure you need to break the engine down so far? Seems like now the pistons are loose you could do a quick clean up and measure without separating the jugs, just the lower case.


John

I definitely won't be that ballsy. I had to cut the cam chain to get the cams off but other than that my concern is that there is crap and heavy water damage in the lower case. As it's been sitting in a shed it's possible that I'm being overly cautious.

[trbig]

I definitely won't be that ballsy. I had to cut the cam chain to get the cams off but other than that my concern is that there is crap and heavy water damage in the lower case. As it's been sitting in a shed it's possible that I'm being overly cautious.

??? Cam chain adjuster out and cam sprockets off and you can remove the cams. A cut chain is just more money you'll have to spend and a PITA to feed a new one down around the crank and back up.

If the engine moves, you just need to make sure there's no grooves/pits of rust in the cylinder walls where the rings had been sitting. No need to remove cams/cam chain/cylinders, etc... to split the cases and open up the bottom end.